China working on robot development for coronavirus testing

Country's artificial intelligence sector is all active to lend their technological hands to help battle the epidemic

BEIJING/ SHENYANG: Chinese developers are working on the research and development of a robot that can replace nurses in conducting throat testing to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The R&D started over a week ago by the country's major robot manufacturer Siasun and the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Multiple departments have been mobilised in the development, installation and testing work to save time.

In a new coronavirus test, a nurse uses a swab to collect secretions from the patient's throat for testing, which risks infecting the nurse because of the exposure to the virus.

The robot, which will include a snake-shaped mechanical arm and a swab collection part, can be controlled remotely to protect the medical staff from being infected, according to Siasun Robot and Automation Co.Ltd.

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Based in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Siasun was founded in 2000 and listed on the Growth Enterprise Market in 2009.

Artificial Intelligence

China has also called on the country's artificial intelligence (AI) sector to lend their technological hands to help battle the epidemic.

Research and development should be enhanced and industrial cooperation is encouraged to contribute to the discovery, awareness and control of the novel coronavirus, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Tuesday in a proposal.

Related AI technologies could be applied to roll out smart devices to support diagnosis and treatment, and used in telecommuting, online education and intelligent production to ensure minimal disruption to people's lives.

The proposal also encouraged the sector to optimise algorithms and enhance computing power to aid the development of related drugs and vaccines.

AI is already in use in the country's epidemic control efforts. Some hospitals are using smart devices to assist diagnosis while train stations install AI-empowered thermal imagers to take passengers' temperature.